Chicago schools-closing plan stirs anger

Updated 10:51 pm, Thursday, March 21, 2013

Maria Llanos watches as daughter Xochilt Fernandez hugs a fellow student at Lafayette School, which is scheduled to close.

Maria Llanos watches as daughter Xochilt Fernandez hugs a fellow student at Lafayette School, which is scheduled to close.

Photo: Charles Rex Arbogast, Associated Press

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William Penn Elementary School Council Representative Rev. Dr. Brian Henderson speaks at a news conference held by the Committee to Save North Lawndale Schools, Thursday, March 21, 2013, in Chicago. The city of Chicago has begun informing teachers about which public schools it intends to close under a contentious plan that opponents say will disproportionately affect minority students in the nation's third largest school district. Chicago Public Schools hasn't said how many schools or students will be affected, but administrators identified up to 129 schools that could be shuttered, saying many serve too few students to justify remaining open. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) less

William Penn Elementary School Council Representative Rev. Dr. Brian Henderson speaks at a news conference held by the Committee to Save North Lawndale Schools, Thursday, March 21, 2013, in Chicago. The city of ... more

Photo: M. Spencer Green, Associated Press

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Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis speaks outside the Mahalia Jackson Elementary School in Chicago, Thursday, March 21, 2013, about the planned closing of public schools. The city of Chicago began informing teachers, principals and local officials Thursday about which public schools it intends to close under a contentious plan that opponents say will disproportionately affect minority students in the nation's third largest school district. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) less

Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis speaks outside the Mahalia Jackson Elementary School in Chicago, Thursday, March 21, 2013, about the planned closing of public schools. The city of Chicago began ... more

Photo: M. Spencer Green, Associated Press

Chicago schools-closing plan stirs anger

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Chicago --

Chicago Public Schools officials said Thursday that they plan to close 54 schools in an effort to address a $1 billion budget shortfall and improve a struggling educational system - a plan that drew the ire of parents and teachers.

District CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel say the closures are necessary because too many school buildings are half-empty. The nation's third-largest district has about 403,000 students but has seats for more than 500,000, officials say.

Opponents say the closures will disproportionately affect minority children and endanger students who may have to cross gang boundaries to attend school.

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The plan will affect about 30,000 students, school officials said. They said money being spent to keep underutilized schools open could be better used to educate students elsewhere.

"Every child in every neighborhood in Chicago deserves access to a high-quality education that prepares them to succeed in life, but for too long children in certain parts of Chicago have been cheated out of the resources they need to succeed because they are in underutilized, under-resourced schools," Byrd-Bennett said.

"As a former teacher and a principal, I've lived through school closings and I know that this will not be easy, but I also know that in the end this will benefit our children."

Chicago is among several major U.S. cities, including Philadelphia, Washington and Detroit to use mass school closures to reduce costs and offset declining enrollment. Detroit has closed more than 130 schools since 2005, including more than 40 in 2010 alone.

The issue has again pitted Emanuel against the Chicago Teachers Union, whose 26,000 members went on strike early in the school year, idling students for seven days.

It has also put Emanuel and Byrd-Bennett at odds with parents, civic leaders and lawmakers, who have blasted the pair during highly charged community meetings throughout the city and at a legislative hearing earlier this week.

Many of the schools identified for closure are in high-crime areas of Chicago where gang violence contributed to a marked increase in the city's homicide rate last year. The district plans to have community groups help students get to their new locations safely.

Among the critics is Eular Hatchett, who lives in the violence-plagued neighborhood of North Lawndale. She walks her 13-year-old nephew DaVontay Horace to school to ensure he gets there safely.

"Our parents know about this area," she said. "They don't know about those other areas. If they send him way north or way south, I'm not going to do that. It's too dangerous."

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